Update: Coronavirus - 3/6/20

Dear Community,

The University continues to closely monitor the potential impact of COVID-19 on our community. As of Thursday evening, there are two confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the state and no confirmed cases of COVID-19 connected to the University of Denver.

In an abundance of caution, effective today, the University of Denver is modifying its travel policy until further notice. We will re-evaluate our policy when new information becomes available. All nonessential international travel for University-related programs and activities is prohibited.

You can expect to receive a weekly update from the University with the latest information regarding guidelines and changes about health precautions and travel. Communications will be more frequent if needed. The Office of Campus Safety, in close cooperation with the provost and myself, has initiated our Emergency Operations Center to plan our University-wide response and consider how this outbreak might affect community members and the continuity of our operations. This group is engaged in daily conference calls and will meet weekly, or if needed more often and will provide updates to me and senior University leadership.

A website for the DU community has been developed to provide COVID-19 resources and information and will be updated frequently.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the primary resource for up-to-date information on this issue and is providing COVID-19 updates on its website at noon Monday through Friday.

The University is providing recommendations and resources based on guidance from the CDC while keeping in mind the distinct needs of our community.

Here is a summary of important considerations for the DU community at this time:

Sickness among students

We are asking that faculty members use leniency with students as we navigate the impact of COVID-19. Plans are currently underway to enable the University to offer classes online during spring quarter if it becomes necessary. Now is a good time now, to begin making contingency plans for providing opportunities for students to receive notes, assignments, and exams online if students report illness and are unable to attend class prior to the beginning of spring quarter. Interim Provost Lengsfeld has recently communicated greater details on contingency planning with faculty members and has posted information on the provost’s website.

Sickness among faculty and staff

According to the latest CDC guidance, employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4° F [37.8° C] or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of  fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). Employees should follow the normal call-out procedures in their departments if they are ill. Additionally, departments are encouraged to use existing flexible work plans so that employees who are feeling ill, but are well enough to work, can work from home. Individual employees with concerns about taking sick leave should contact Human Resources and Inclusive Community.

Spring break

The University routinely keeps residential halls open and available at no additional charge for students who elect to stay on campus during spring break. In the midst of this public health issue, the University is contemplating extending meal plans as well and will be polling students to determine needs. The prevalence of COVID-19 in the U.S. is changing rapidly. Please use caution and judgment if you are planning domestic travel and check for the latest information before your trip. Community members planning to travel to any international location during spring break should anticipate possible constraints when re-entering the U.S. and upon return to campus. For personal travel, you may want to consider purchasing travel insurance.

International travel advisories

In an abundance of caution, effective today, the University of Denver is modifying its travel policy until further notice. We will re-evaluate our policy when new information becomes available. All nonessential international travel for University-related programs and activities is prohibited.

Community members should anticipate possible constraints when re-entering the U.S. and upon return to campus. For personal travel, you may want to consider purchasing travel insurance. As of March 4, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance for individuals returning from countries with widespread sustained ongoing COVID-19 transmission. This guidance includes a strong recommendation that individuals returning from CDC Level 3 countries self-isolate for 14 days from the time they returned from that location, with specific guidance included in the link above. 

Because this health situation is evolving rapidly, we will update the University’s COVID-19 website frequently and I ask that you review the website for the latest updates. Everyone in our community is advised to practice everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of illness on campus. Because of the uncertainty surrounding the public health concerns of COVID-19, it is understandable for there to be an increased level of anxiety. I want to encourage all of us to remain calm and deliberative even while so much is rapidly changing on this issue. I also ask that we take time to look out for fellow community members, provide support, empathy, patience, and compassion during this time.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Haefner
Chancellor